CHANGCHUN, 20 April (BelTA - Xinhua) - The Jilin Provincial Higher People's Court on Friday overturned the conviction of Liu Zhonglin in a murder case more than 20 years ago.

Liu was given a suspended death sentence for murder at the Intermediate People's Court in Liaoyuan, Jilin in July 1994 for murdering a woman, and a year later the provincial higher people's court upheld the ruling.

He had his conviction overturned Friday as the higher court ruled that the previous convictions were based on unclear facts and insufficient evidence.

In 1990, a pregnant woman was found dead in a crop field by a villager in Dongliao County. Liu, who was believed to be the woman's former boyfriend, was identified as a suspect and detained soon after.

Liu and his family repeatedly appealed, and he had his reprieved death sentence commuted to a 25-year prison term.

In March 2012, the higher people's court decided to rehear the case, but the retrial did not open until 2016, shortly after he was released after serving more than 25 years in prison.